Tag Archives: Hollywood

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 16/17 August

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine new headlines

*  In 2013 3 billion passengers and 48 million tonnes of cargo were transported on 100000 flights per day, a World Air Transport Statistics survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed.  One-third of the flights are in the Asia-Pacific region, and one quarter each in the USA and Europe.  Only 2% of flights are in Africa.

*   SAA and Boeing are teaming up to develop jet fuel made from tobacco, to improve the airline’s carbon footprint.  The Solaris tobacco plant will be the source of the jet fuel, made by SkyNRG.  The biofuels are expected to be developed in the next few years.  Similar test projects for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways are underway.

*   To promote film-making in our country, Rob Davies, the Minister of Trade and Industry, has announced the drastic lowering of the domestic film expenditure threshold Continue reading →

SA Tourism media extravagance in New York criticised as inappropriate!

Le Bernardin private roomIt was interesting to read a critical article about the perceived extravagance and inappropriateness of a recent media lunch hosted by SA Tourism and Marthinus van Schalkwyk, our Minister of Tourism, in New York.

The article was posted on eTurboNews, but the writer is not identified.  Looking at the editorial panel of the online newsletter, one can assume it was written by Dr Elinor Garely, who is the only journalist for the newsletter based in New York.

Dr Garely writes that she had previously visited South Africa ‘many years’ ago, and Cape Town in particular, whilst she was working on her doctoral dissertation in international business.   Her overriding impression was the contradiction she saw then: ‘While the hotels were lovely, the restaurants for dining and tasting South African Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 27 August

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   International tourism in the first half of 2013 has grown by 5% relative to the same period the year before, reports the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

*   The film ‘The Giver‘, starring Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, is to be shot in its entirety in Cape Town from the end of September, reports the Cape Times.  Moonlighting Films has been appointed as the production company, which was also involved in the filming of ‘Invictus’ and ‘Safe House’. The Cape Town Film Commission said that the Mother City’s film industry has been growing at 30% per year in the past three years, has contributed R5 billion to our economy in the past year, and is creating positive talk about Cape Town in Hollywood.  ‘The Giver’ is expected Continue reading →

Cape Town attracts stars

A number of Hollywood stars will make Cape Town their temporary home for the next few months, to shoot movies in the city, reports the Weekend Argus.

‘The Human Factor’ is a movie about South Africa winning the Rugby World Cup in 1995, and will star Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.   It is based on the book ‘The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and the Game that changed the world’.   Damon plays Francois Pienaar, then Springbok rugby team captain.  

‘Heaven and Earth’ will feature Pierce Brosnan, playing Lord Charles Somerset, the Cape’s first governor.   The Castle will be used as one of the locations for the shoot.

Seven international movies will commence shooting in Cape Town in the next three months.